"Are you sure it was a werewolf?" Hermione asked yet again, and Harry groaned to himself. He had long since lost count over how many times she had asked that same question since that night a week ago.
"He had a muzzle and fangs sharp enough to bite your arm off," Harry said annoyed and put the last volume of Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts in his trunk. "So, yeah, I'm pretty sure."
"I don't get it," Hermione said frowning from where she sat on Harry's bed. "The moon wasn't full that night. And a werewolf should in any case have attacked Dumbledore rather than obediently following him into the kitchen."
"Perhaps they drugged it?" Ron suggested as he carelessly dumped a handful of socks in his own trunk.
"Maybe," Hermione said doubtfully. "It would have to be a pretty potent drug just to have any effect at all on a werewolf."
"He wasn't drugged," Harry said and closed his trunk. "I've told you, he looked like he still had his wits with him, like... like his mind was still human."
"Even the Wolfsbane Potion won't let anyone stay in werewolf form with a human mind," Hermione objected. "Perhaps some kind of very powerful transfigurative charm to make him look like a werewolf... but what would the point be?"
Right then the door opened and Lupin strolled in with his hands in his pockets. "Morning. Is everyone ready?"
"Almost," Harry said. "Neville is still looking for Trevor. By the way, how will we get to King's Cross Station?"
"Arthur has managed to borrow a couple Ministry cars," Lupin said with a grin. "Fudge has been awfully friendly as of late - obviously in an attempt to repair some of the political damage. In any case -" his mood sobered "- I just wanted say that as soon as we reach Platform 9 ¾ you should get onboard the train as quickly as possible. Voldemort may be quiet, but the Hogwarts Express will be an extremely tempting target for him. In one stroke he can demoralize the entire wizarding world." Everyone shuddered at the thought of Death Eaters suddenly appearing at the platform and killing students.
"Of course, Platform 9 ¾ will be heavily defended if the rumours are true," Lupin continued. "Aurors will be patrolling both it and the train itself, covered by a squad of Hit Wizards. There are also Anti-Apparation Wards all over the place. In all honesty, I think the number of Death Eaters Voldemort will loose in an attack on the Hogwarts Express is more than he can afford at this point."
Harry found himself praying that Lupin was right.
Judging by the line of people carrying trunks, broomsticks and birdcages waiting to pass through the magical barrier on King's Cross Station, it seemed as if many wizarding parents had waited until the last moment before following their children to Platform 9 ¾. Harry could understand the logic in it; the less time they spent on the platform, the less chance there were of getting caught up in the middle a Death Eater attack. Unfortunately, with the magical barrier acting as a bottleneck, it took fifteen minutes of nervously glancing over their shoulders before it became their turn to pass through.
Harry gasped in relief as he entered Platform 9 ¾, escaping at last the curious glances from Muggles. The first sight that met him was no other than Tonks in full Auror uniform; pitch black robes with a badge in the form of a golden eye.
"Hi, Harry," she murmured as she caught sight of him. "Remember; classroom nine every Sunday at 9PM." Harry nodded, just as Neville, Luna and Hermione came through the barrier along with Mrs Weasley.
Further down the platform, one Auror was continuously repeating the same words in a magically amplified voice: "There is no cause for alarm, but the Ministry of Magic would appreciate it if you would please board the Hogwarts Express as quickly as possible. I repeat; there is no cause for alarm..."
Mr Weasley put one hand on Harry's shoulder. "Come on, let's go," he said with some concern.
As the rest of the kids boarded the train, Mrs Weasley held back Harry, Ron and Hermione with a pained expression. "One moment you three; I want you to promise me to keep out of trouble this year. That goes especially for you, Harry."
"Hey, I never go looking for trouble," Harry objected. "It's the trouble that usually finds me, you know."
"I know that, but-" she drew a ragged breath, and her eyes misted over. "Loosing you would be like loosing any of my sons, Harry. So please, no heroics this year."
"I'll do my best, Mrs Weasley," Harry said and meant it. "I don't want to come closer to a Death Eater than I have to."
Mrs Weasley nodded solemnly, knowing that was all she was going to get, and then she gave Ron a piercing look. "And you! You are not going of on another adventure, chasing Death Eaters again, right?"
"Um, not unless I have to," Ron said. Harry and Hermione couldn't hold back a snicker at that.
Mrs Weasley looked up at the sky as if she was asking for divine intervention. Realizing that whatever god residing up there was probably laughing at her, she lowered her eyes to Hermione. "As for you; well, you may not be my daughter, but-"
"I'll be careful," Hermione said with a grin. "But if I'm going to keep these two safe, I'll have to follow them wherever they go, right?"
Mrs Weasley let out a groan. "Get on the train before I hex the whole lot of you. Go on, shoo!"
After putting their luggage into place in the compartment Ginny, Neville and Luna had held off for them, Hermione mentioned that she and Ron had to go to the usual Prefect meeting. Harry just nodded and sank gratefully down into a seat as the train began moving.
"So, Ginny; are you looking forward to seeing Dean?" Harry grinned, remembering Ginny's comment to Ron the last time they were on the Hogwarts Express.
Ginny blushed. "Whatever you do, don't mention him when Ron's nearby. He's been dropping hints all summer about how 'unsuitable' Dean is. I've never figured out why older brothers get so angry at their sister's boyfriends."
Harry shrugged. "Well, try to look at it from Ron's point of view. One moment you're his baby sister, in the next you're snogging with one of his dorm mates."
Neville snickered as Ginny blushed even more, and got a death-glare in return. "Dean and I have never snogged!" she denied. "We were just starting our relationship when the semester ended!"
Up until now, Luna had been staring dreamily out of the window, humming 'Weasley is our king' under her breath. Now she looked at Ginny and said: "Oh? I thought I saw you and Dean kissing near the Astronomy Tower the day before the Hogwarts Express arrived."
"One kiss! That's hardly what I'd define as snogging!" Ginny exclaimed, which caused Harry and Neville to break out in outright laughter. "And you are a fine one to talk, Romeo!" she snapped at Harry. "You who have half the girls in Hogwarts looking at you!"
Harry's mouth closed with a snap. "Half the girls-? Oh, very funny, Ginny. If that's true I would have known about it."
Ginny cocked a brow. "How many girls asked you out for the Yule Ball in your fourth year?"
"About five," Harry admitted. "But that was just because I was in the Tri-Wizard Tournament."
"Oh, Harry." Ginny shook her head with a grin. "You can be so naive at times. Let me see; in your first year I wasn't there, so I really can't tell. And in your second year - my first - nearly everyone thought you were assaulting students, so no one dared go near you. In your third year, however, it seemed like every girl on the school were sighing over your eyes or the cute way your hair stood up."
Harry goggled at her. The cute way his hair stood up? Beside him, Neville had covered his mouth with one hand in an effort to silence his sniggers.
"Of course nobody dared ask the Boy Who Lived for a date, although there was plenty of talk about you going on in the dormitories at night," Ginny continued with an impish grin. "Your fourth year we've already talked about, and in your fifth the girls stayed away from you because they all thought you were an attention-seeking lunatic," she finished triumphantly. "Of course, this year will be quite different from the previous one. Now you are the conquering hero who stuck to his story despite the Daily Prophet's smear campaign, and who defended the Ministry against Death Eaters."
Harry shook his head in denial. "That's rubbish," he said.
Ginny snorted. "Hardly. Not only are you the Boy Who Lived and a Quidditch star, but you're also the boy who fights Death Eaters or face You-Know-Who once a week. In any case, you'll see for yourself one we reach-" She interrupted herself as the door went up and Dean Thomas stuck his head in.
"Hi, Ginny! I've been looking all over for you," he said brightly. Ginny smiled up at him with a Luna-like expression as he sat down beside her.
"Excuse me for a moment," Harry smirked. "I need to use the toilet."
"And I think I'll go to find the food cart," Neville said quickly and got up along with Harry. Luna for her part seemed to have wandered off into her little dream world again.
Neville managed to close the compartment door behind them before both he and Harry broke out in laughter. "Did you see the way she was looking at him?" Neville exclaimed. "Like a cat on a pitcher of milk!"
"True," said Harry snickered. "Although I don't envy him once we get back to our dormitory. You'll help me keep Ron from murdering him, right?"
"I'll try, Harry. I'll try."
Harry was just exiting the toilet when he saw the three Slytherins standing in front of him. Immediately he kicked himself for forgetting Dumbledore's words: "...you are more unpopular among the Slytherins than ever before, for obvious reasons - especially to young Mr Malfoy."
"Morning, Potter," Malfoy drawled, who looked paler and more sinister than ever. "Thought I saw you sneaking around here, like some stray dog." Beside him Crabbe and Goyle grunted with laughter.
Harry simply ignored the sting in his heart and the thinly veiled reference to Sirius, something he wouldn't have been able to do as little as a month ago. "Hello, Malfoy. How's the jaw?" he said coldly.
Malfoy stroked his jaw with a finger. "You'll pay for what you did to me and my family!" he whispered fiercely. "Do you think Azkaban can hold my father now that the Dementors have sided with the Dark Lord? You'll meet the same fate Sirius Black did!"
"I've heard threats like that before, Malfoy," said Harry with distain. "From a much more powerful wizard than you; his name is Voldemort." Harry grinned in satisfaction as Malfoy and his two cronies jumped back with a startled expression on their faces. "What's the matter?" he taunted. "Can't bear to hear the name of your so-called 'Dark Lord?'"
"You are not worthy of speaking his name, filth!" Malfoy shouted and reached for his wand. So did Crabbe and Goyle. Harry concentrated briefly, and with a satisfying click the wand holster strapped to the underside of his forearm spat out his own wand.
"Oh, so you think you can win a duel against all three of us, do you?" Malfoy sneered. "Remember there's no one from you little fan club to save you this time."
"Isn't there?" came another voice Harry instantly recognized. Behind Malfoy, partially obscured by the huge bulk of Crabbe, stood Neville with his brand new wand in hand, glaring defiantly at the Slytherins.
Malfoy snorted contemptuously. "What do you want, Longbottom? Aid Scarhead over here? You'd be more of a liability than any help."
"I saw Neville attack Antonin Dolohov in the Department of Mysteries, Malfoy," Harry said quietly. "But if you think you're a better duellist than Dolohov, then just go ahead and try to curse him. I'll gather up the pieces of you afterward and dump them in the deepest hole I can find."
Malfoy gave Harry a baffled look, and then glanced at Neville who stood there looking oddly confident. Not something anyone would have expected from someone who accidentally melted his cauldron every second week.
Suddenly Malfoy's arrogance and self-confidence seemed to return to him. "Nice try, Potter," he sneered. "But we are still three against-"
"What's going on here?" a deep and calm voice interrupted. Harry looked over his shoulder and smiled in relief as he saw Shacklebolt standing there in the same Auror uniform as Tonks. Quickly he put his wand back in the holster, and Shacklebolt glared at Malfoy until he did the same. "Now I think you should all go back to your compartments," Shacklebolt said. Malfoy left with a sour expression and his cronies shortly followed, while Harry and Neville went in the opposite direction.
"Phew! That was a close one," said Neville relieved. "Don't know what I would have done if he had actually tried to curse me."
"Shield charm, Neville," said Harry. "I taught it to you in the DA."
Neville looked doubtful "Yeah, but... since his father is a Death Eater, Malfoy must be a lot better at duelling than I am."
"You don't know that," Harry objected. "Have you ever seen him duel? The only thing wrong with you is your lack of confidence." He was about to argue further when he suddenly heard his name coming out of the half-closed door to a compartment.
"... Harry and I are just friends!"
He stopped in his tracks and listened for everything he was worth. He knew that voice.
"Friends?" came the voice of Michael Corner. "Then why were you and him holding hands at the Leaky Cauldron?"
"We weren't holding hands, we were shaking hands!" Cho replied angrily, who had obviously lost her patience. "I wish you could stop being so jealous!"
"Jealous?" Michael scoffed. "I'm not jealous! I'm just wondering why you have suddenly gotten so cosy with her your ex-boyfriend."
"Harry, are you coming?" said Neville, who had stopped when he saw Harry wasn't following. Realizing that being caught eavesdropping by Cho and Michael might not be good for his health, Harry quickly got moving again.
Harry knocked on the compartment door to be sure he wasn't interrupting anything between Ginny and Dean. He knew he could have saved himself the trouble when he heard Hermione's voice: "Come in." Inside he found Ginny staring at the opposite wall with her arms crossed in front of her, while Ron was giving her annoyed glances. Hermione for her part sat in between and tried to start a conversation. Dean had apparently wisely retreated a long time ago.
"Is something wrong, Ron?" asked Harry as he found himself a place to sit.
"Wrong?" Ron snorted. "Let me see; first Hermione and I arrive at the prefect meeting only to find out that Malfoy is still a prefect. I thought he had lost the badge after his involvement with the Inquisitorial Squad - not to mention that his father is a Death Eater! And then" - he shot Ginny an annoyed look - "we walk in here to find Ginny holding hands with Dean of all people. Finally, she kisses him right in front of my eyes!" Ron somehow made kissing his sister sound like a capital offence.
"It was just a good-bye kiss!" Ginny snapped. "And you didn't have anything against Dean the previous year!"
"That was before he seduced my little sister!" Ron shot back.
"Seduced me? That's ridiculous, Ron! Dean and I have been friends for ages, even back when I was dating Michael Corner."
"Well, at least it is a change from Ron and Hermione arguing," Harry thought amused, and settled down for a very long trip.
"Firs' years over here! Firs' years over here!" Hagrid bellowed happily as Harry and the others disembarked the Hogwarts Express. "Hello, Harry. Everything alright?"
Harry waved back and smiled in response, while manoeuvre around a crowd of nervous first years along with Ron and Hermione. "Blimey, was I really that small, once?" he thought. It seemed like an eternity since he was ferried across the lake by Hagrid. Incredible how much had changed since then.
"Hi, Harry!"
Harry looked up and saw Lavendar Brown waving enthusiastically to him. "Uh, hello Lavendar," he said a bit confused. Lavendar had rarely said as much as two words to him before, except at DA meetings.
"See you up at the castle," she called, and smiled at him. Harry stared after her as she disappeared in the crowd.
Although he knew they were going to be there, it was still a shock to see the Thestrals pulling the school carriages. While definitely scary, Harry felt a strange sense of friendship with the winged horses. Smiling to himself he reached out to pat one of them. The Thestral turned its head and regarded him with its eerie white eyes.
"Hey, Harry," Ron suddenly called. "There's a free carriage here. You coming?"
Harry quickly got inside the carriage. Unfortunately, after he, Ron and Hermione had taken their seats, there were still room enough for another - Parvati Patil.
"Hello, Harry!" she gushed as the carriage began moving. "I hear you and I are taking many of the same subjects for the NEWT level. Perhaps we can study together?"
Harry blinked startled at her. How could she possibly know what NEWT subjects he had taken? He looked at Hermione, who were trying to stifle giggles, and Ron, who were giving him a 'here's-your-chance-go-ahead' look. "Um, perhaps," Harry said carefully.
"Oh, great!" Parvati said enthusiastically and battered her eyelashes. "I'm really struggling in Defence Against the Dark Arts, but I'm sure you'll be a great help there."
Harry began seriously contemplating jumping off the carriage.
After a few minutes of giving non-committal answers to Parvati's poorly disguised advances, the carriage finally arrived at the gates and Harry rushed out. "Real smooth, mate," Ron said after catching up. "Why didn't you just say yes when she asked about help with homework tomorrow evening?"
"Because I've seen rocks with more brains than her?" Harry suggested sarcastically. Could any of that nonsense Ginny had spoken about on the train really be true? It still seemed insane to him, but...
"Mr Potter and Mr Weasley!" Someone calling out over the noise of students filling into the Great Hall caught their attention. It was Professor McGonagall, standing beside Katie Bell and looking as strict as ever.
"Are you two in trouble already?" Hermione asked in disbelief. "We barely got here!"
"Of course we aren't," Ron said insulted. "Have some faith in us."
"If you three would accompany me," McGonagall said. "I have to talk to you for a moment." They followed her to an empty classroom, and she shut the door behind her.
"Now that Ms Johnson has graduated from Hogwarts, the Gryffindor Quidditch team is in dire need of a good captain. The choice is between you three, so I thought I'd have a word with you before I made up my mind. Ms Bell, you have the most experience-"
Katie held up her hands to stall her. "Sorry professor, but don't look at me. I saw what kind of pressure Angelina was under the previous year, and I don't think I'll be able to handle the stress."
McGonagall nodded in acknowledgement. "Well, that leaves you, Mr Potter, and you, Mr Weasley. Mr Potter, I must admit I'm inclined to giving the captaincy to you."
Harry hesitated for a moment, and then shook his head. "No, professor. I may be a good Seeker, but I'm no team captain. I have no idea of how to train a Quidditch team. I say give the captain's badge to Ron."
Ron goggled at him, and Harry had to fight down a grin as he remembered what Ron had seen in the magical mirror Erised in their first year - him as team captain. The right corner of McGonagall's mouth also quirked up a little, and without further ceremony she fished the captain's badge out of a pocket and fastened it on Ron's left breast.
"Congratulations, Mr Weasley," she said briskly. "You are the first captain in over twenty years who receive the badge after only his first year on the team." Then she gave him a dangerous look. "And I know you'll do a good job, right?"
Ron was still in a daze when they entered the Great Hall. The sorting hat had already finished its new song and was starting on the E's. Hermione had held of seats for Harry and Ron, while Katie parted company and sat down beside some friends.
"Well, what happened?" Hermione whispered as Ron and Harry sat down on each their sides of here. "What did she say? Are you in trouble already?"
"Relax, Hermione," Harry grinned. "Can't you see his badge? McGonagall just made him Quidditch captain!"
Hermione squealed in surprise and hugged him. "Oh, that's wonderful, Ron! Are you going to let Ginny try out as Chaser? She's been looking forward to it all summer."
"Try out?" Ron said, who finally seemed to have regained the ability to speak. "She's already on the team, like Harry. I'll just move her from Seeker position to Chaser."
Harry stopped listening to the conversation. Professor Flitwick, who were calling out the names of the first years instead of McGonagall this time, had just said a name Harry recognized: Mark Evans. He got a glimpse of the boy right before his face was hidden by the too large sorting hat, and sure enough; it was the boy that Dudley used to beat up back in Privet Drive. Harry smiled to himself. So he wasn't the only wizard in the neighbourhood. That was nice to know.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the sorting hat shouted, and Mark breathed out in relief as he handed it back to Flitwick. Eager to escape from having the attention of the entire Great Hall, he hurried over to the Gryffindor table and sank gratefully down into a vacant seat across the table from Harry.
"Hello, Mark," Harry grinned.
Mark looked confused for a moment, then his eyes narrowed in recognition. "You! But- Why are you here? I thought-"
"That I went to St. Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys?" Harry suggested amused. "No, that's just a cover story my uncle cooked up. I've been here every school year since I was your age."
"Oh," Mark said in a small voice. He seemed absolutely dumbfounded over discovering that the 'criminal Potter-boy' was actually a fellow wizard.
Ron suddenly elbowed Harry in the ribs. "Look at the teacher's table," he whispered. "See the new guy? Probably the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."
Harry followed Ron's gaze and saw a tall, broadshouldered man with his black hair swept back into a short ponytail. Despite the man's size Harry doubted there was even an ounce of superfluous fat on him. Yet, there was something with the mild expression in his face that would prevent even the most nervous first year of ever being intimidated by him.
"Oh, that's not good," Ron moaned. "Snape likes him!" Harry looked startled at the Potions teacher who was sitting there grinning - grinning! - at the newcomer. And it wasn't an unpleasant grin either, as one would expect from someone like Snape. Rather, it was a friendly grin, and worse; he saw the new teacher smiling back!
"Really, Ron," Hermione interjected. "You shouldn't judge a new teacher just because Snape happens to like him."
But Harry silently thought that Ron was on to something. He had never seen Snape smiling at anyone unless he was thinking of fining them points - and at the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor no less! It was common knowledge that Snape had wanted that job for years. That he was on friendly terms with someone who had snatched the job away from under his nose yet again had to be very bad news indeed.
Finally, 'Young, Roger' became a Ravenclaw and the Sorting was over. At the teacher's table Dumbledore rose and beamed at the assembled students. "To our new students; welcome to Hogwarts. To our old ones; welcome back. As I have said countless times before, there's a time for speechmaking and this is not it. Tuck in!"
On the other side of the table Mark's jaw dropped as food suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and then promptly went popeyed when Nearly Headless Nick floated through the floor and took a seat.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, Mark," Harry said lightly.
After the feast Dumbledore rose to hold his usual speech. "Now that we have been watered and fed, there are a few things I have to bore you with before you can go to bed. First allow me to point out to our new first years that the Forbidden Forrest is indeed forbidden for students to enter unless accompanied by a teacher. A few of our old students would also do well to remember that." His eyes twinkled in their direction, and Harry, Ron and Hermione grinned shamefacedly at each other. "Second; I'm afraid that due to recent events you won't be allowed to go outside the castle except in groups of at least three. Trips to Hogsmeade have to be done in groups of four. And yes, this means only double dates are allowed." This caused a little chuckling among the students. "Finally, let me introduce our new teacher in Defence Against the Dark Arts; Professor Phelan Ravensdale."
There was polite applause from the students and Ravensdale waved back and smiled. Harry, Ron and Hermione, however, just stared at the man in shock. "Harry," Hermione whispered fiercely. "Didn't you say that the name of the werewolf you saw in Grimmauld Place was Phelan Ravensdale?"
"Yes," Harry said shakily. "It was."
From the teacher's table, Professor Ravensdale smiled secretly at him.
Author's notes: First, let me apologize for the long wait in getting this chapter up. Real life has been very hectic as of late, and has left me with very little computer time. Now things are beginning to calm down a bit, and I'll try to get beck to the 'one-chapter-per-week' rule. Second, just so we are 100% clear on the subject of werewolves: This is the correct anatomy for the werewolves in my fic.
mjk306: The Wolfsbane Potion turns Lupin into an ordinary wolf and prevents the extremely dangerous dementia that accompanies the transformation. It does not allow him to keep his human mind while transforming into a werewolf. And yes, Harry knows Snape is a spy. Harry was just so shocked at seeing a man with a Death Eater mask entering Grimmauld Place that he didn't immediately remember.
Yugioh/Potter/Pokemon fan: Yes, it'll be HarryCho... eventually.
crab: Evil? No... what makes you think that?
joe: When in werewolf form they look roughly the same. The only difference between them is that when in werewolf form Lupin will kill everything in sight, while the werewolf at Grimmauld Place doesn't.
chris-warren876: In some areas Harry is still an ordinary sixteen year old, yes, but in others he is mature beyond his years. Remember that he has almost been killed five times, and have seen people being murdered in front of his eyes twice. That must have changed him.